A software engineer who spent 14 years building a career at global technology giants including Microsoft, Google, YouTube and Cruise has revealed why he walked away from a staggering Rs 4.25 crore ($450,000) annual salary to pursue an entirely different dream - running a halal barbecue restaurant in Texas.
A software engineer who spent 14 years building a career at global technology giants including Microsoft, Google, YouTube and Cruise has revealed why he walked away from a staggering Rs 4.25 crore ($450,000) annual salary to pursue an entirely different dream - running a halal barbecue restaurant in Texas.
Salahodeen Abdul-Kafi, 35, said he chose to leave the lucrative tech industry after becoming increasingly dissatisfied with its priorities, believing the work had shifted from creating meaningful impact to simply chasing profits.
After leaving San Francisco, Abdul-Kafi accepted a role at a religious nonprofit, taking a pay cut of more than 50 per cent. At the same time, he began hosting barbecue dinners for friends, who were impressed by his distinctive cooking style and encouraged him to turn his passion into a business.
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"That's when I started wondering whether there was room for something Texas barbecue didn't already have," Abdul-Kafi told Business Insider, adding, "Kafi BBQ opened in December 2024. We prepared enough barbecue to last three days, but we sold through all of it on the first day. We started cooking again that same night."
Abdul-Kafi's restaurant quickly gained a loyal following across Texas and beyond, with demand soaring far beyond expectations.
The entrepreneur said the business is now on course to generate nearly Rs 37.8 crore ($4 million) in revenue this year, after earning just under Rs 21.7 crore ($2.3 million) in its first full year of operation.
"Last year, we generated just under Rs (21.7 crore) $2.3 million in revenue, and we're projected to reach up to (Rs 37.8 crore) $4 million this year. That said, I still haven't paid myself a single dollar since opening and have been living off of my savings," he said.
Despite the restaurant's rapid rise, Abdul-Kafi said the journey is far from financially comfortable. The venture required an initial investment of around $1 million, which has yet to be fully recovered.
He also highlighted the enormous costs involved in operating the business. Monthly expenses exceed $215,000, including roughly $125,000 on food, $50,000 on staff salaries, and $15,000 on rent, along with thousands more spent on marketing and other operational costs.
